Maxwell School News and Commentary

“In my experience from the standpoint of having served as an appointee in the Pentagon and as secretary of the Navy, using such an unsecured channel to coordinate plans is unheard of and would never have occurred in previous administrations,” says University Professor Sean O'Keefe.

Today, pass-through funding allows federal agencies to tap into local expertise and knowledge as well as help the federal government keep its own staffing levels down, says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

“Africa’s newest state has remained trapped in a cycle of civil unrest and perpetual peace agreements that have not translated into real peace for its citizens. As it stands, all indications are that the fragile peace is in danger, as President Salva Kiir has ordered the house arrest of his rival, Vice President Riek Machar,” says Jok Madut Jok, professor of anthropology.

“There are people whose lives are literally on the line, whether that's service personnel, whether that's intelligence personnel,” says Michael Williams, associate professor of public administration and international affairs. “These guys are supposed to be leaders of the free world, the responsible leaders of the military, the greatest country in the world, and they can't perform basic operational security.”

“I think there are plenty of people in Greenland who would like to have good and close ties with the United States. But that doesn’t mean they want to be part of the United States. They want independence,” says Renée de Nevers, associate professor of public administration and international affairs. 

“She's playing the game a little bit differently—the resistance game,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. “She doesn't want to be seen to be an ally of Donald Trump and his administration,” he says. “She also has to worry about her left flank and being seen as too liberal.”

The damage caused by the administration’s actions extends far beyond the professors whose studies have been halted, says Shana Gadarian, professor of political science. “This is potentially a direct harm to people who are, for example, waiting for a cure for cancer or a genetic disease,” she says.

The history professor was recognized with the annual award for her article on the transnational movement Christians for Socialism in 1960s and 1970s Chile.

“If you look at what the Kremlin put out, based upon the phone call between presidents Trump and Putin, their characterization of it was much more sober and it was clear that Putin reiterated his constant talking points about the need to get to what he calls the ‘root causes’ of the conflict,” says Brian Taylor, director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.

Typically, a Republican presidency would be defined by a pro-business outlook that includes lower taxes and deregulation, which tend to boost investment in equities. Trump's tariffs, however, are a driving force in the other direction this time, says Ryan Monarch, assistant professor of economics.